All language subtitles for Next.Level.Chef.S03E01.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH

- Welcome to the world's
toughest

culinary competition,
"Next Level Chef."

[dramatic music]

Go! Let's go!
Come on!

In an epic
three-story kitchen,

the only way to move
to the top

is to cook your way up.

- Look at this kitchen, huh?

- Pigs ears?

What the hell?

- This is what we get to
work with in the basement.

- We are just going crazy
for the scraps.

- Each week,
professional chefs,

home chefs,
and social media chefs

have seconds to grab...

- The platform is here!

- Minutes to cook...

Focus.

And just moments
to deliver their dishes.

- Three, two, one.

- Who will rise
to the challenge?

- ♪ Rise up
and face the demon ♪

- This is gonna be
the toughest...

- First come, first serve,

so sucks to be you.

- The most competitive...

- Go, go, go, go!

- And the most grueling season
of "Next Level Chef" yet.

- ♪ You better run and hide ♪

- And starting tonight,
for the first time ever,

each chef will need to cook

on all three levels
in a brutal audition...

- Imagine the NFL Combine
of cooking.

- Just to make it onto
one of our teams.

And he's done our favorites.

- It might be this guy
right here.

- [laughs]

- Opa!

- The competition is
definitely leveling up.

This is crazy, man.

- Opa!

Opa!

Opa!

- ♪ Rise up and face
the demon ♪

- With an amazing
one-year mentorship...

- People like me don't get
this kind of opportunity.

- And $250,000 on the line...

- It means so much to me.

- I've dreamed about this
since I was a child.

- Only one can climb
their way to the top,

and it all starts right now.

[knives shinging]

[dramatic rock music]

[elevator dings]

♪ ♪

[timer ringing]

♪ ♪

[intense music]

♪ ♪

- Come on in, guys.

- Wow.

Three of the greatest
to ever put on an apron.

I have to pinch myself
to really believe I'm here.

Like, it's me, Mada,
a home cook.

I'm used to cooking
in front of my kids.

♪ ♪

- Good morning.

Now, I hope you've all got
your game faces on,

because this is going to be
the most grueling season

of "Next Level Chef" yet.

Only the best will survive.

- This year, we had
thousands of submissions

from chefs around the country,

all wanting their shot at
making it to the next level.

So this season,
unlike any other,

you'll have to earn your place
on one of our teams.

And your audition starts now.

- Oh, man.

Auditions are crazy.

But I've always had to earn
my spot playing football.

I've been preparing
for this moment all my life.

I'm ready to show
the competition, hey,

Zay-Dolla got what it takes
to be the next level chef.

- Eight of you will
start in the basement.

And after each cook,
one of you will

be eliminated until only five
are left standing on the top.

- Today, we are
starting with...

the eight social media chefs.

[cheers and applause]

- Come on, guys.

- We'll start where every
great chef has started--

at the bottom.

You'll have to prove yourself
in that ridiculous basement

where the conditions are scary,

but the ingredients are
even more scarce.

- Social media chefs, all of
you can head to the elevator

and I will meet you
down in the basement.

Richard and Gordon will
be watching

your every move
from the lounge.

- Let's go, brother.
Let's go, baby.

♪ ♪

[tense music]

- Let's cook.
- I'm excited.

- One shot, one kill.
Let's get it.

- Let's go.

[elevator dings]

- Whoa.
- Oh.

- Let's go, Tim.
- Holy!

- Ooh!

- Welcome to the basement.

- Here we go. Let's go.
- Let's go.

- Scouting for a first pick
here, potentially.

- What we mashing?

- That almost looks like
it was made for you.

- This is my size.

This is what we like
right here.

- Someone left
their oil cans here.

I've cooked in some basement
kitchens in Brooklyn before.

- Look at that.

- But I'm shocked by how bad
some of the tools are.

Wow, it's a far way to the top.

[laughs]

♪ ♪

- What's up, guys?

- What's up?

- Let's go.

Let's fricking go.

How are you feeling?
- I'm feeling good.

- Wonderful. How are you doing?

All right, guys, line up.

This challenge is inspired

by one of TikTok's
hottest trends.

- Oh.
- Any guesses?

- There's so many.

- I can't keep up.

- People have been
making phenomenal dishes

out of canned meat.

- Yes.
- Come on.

- We must be on different
sides of TikTok,

'cause I have never seen
canned meat

on my For You Page.

- 20 minutes to make a dish
out of canned meat.

For one of you, the audition
will end down here, right?

Don't let that be.
- Yes, Chef.

- Yes, Chef.
- Yes, Chef.

- Please line up.
- Let's go.

- Hands on the railing.
- Whoo!

Let's go, Matt.
- Let's get it, baby.

- Wow.

- I could feel everyone's
heart beating against my own

because we're
so close together.

- Let's go, y'all.
Come on, turn up.

Let's go.
- Let's go.

- We are like sardines
in a can--smushed.

- Let's go.

[suspenseful music]

- Whoo.

- It's coming. It's coming.
Here it is.

- Here it is, baby.

[hydraulics whirring]

- Go.

Let's go, guys. Let's go.
Let's go.

- Okay.
My little legs, we got to go.

[bleep]

I hone in
on shrimp in a can.

Meat in a can--it's gross.

But I'm in the basement.

- Everybody needs
to grab a protein.

- Man, it's crazy.

The platform is nothing
like I practiced for.

If you don't grab,
and you're just looking around,

you're going to be stuck

with the worst
possible ingredients.

First thing I see is
canned clams.

I see pasta right under it,
so I grab that as well.

Ah!

- Oh!
- Oh, my God.

- I see this onion,
and I go ahead and grab it.

But when Izahya grabbed
it at the same time,

I thought it's
either him or me.

Not today, Izahya.

I love you, but not today.

- Five seconds, guys.
Five seconds.

- Get out the way, bro.

- Let's go, baby.

Let's go, baby.

- Let's go!

- Your 20 minutes starts
right now.

Let's go.

Day one,
fighting into the draft.

This is a first look.

- Oh, we working, baby.
We working.

- What are you going
to wow us with

to make us pick you
to be on our team?

This is their opportunity,
their chance to show us

that they can stand up
to these pro chefs,

you can stand up
to the home cooks.

How are we feeling, Gabi?

- Good, Chef.
- Awesome.

So talk to me
about your ingredients.

- I got some canned chicken.

And I think what
I'm going to do is

maybe make a little Asian play
on chicken and dumplings.

- Love that.
- Yeah.

- And you do have a little
bit of restaurant experience.

- I'm kind of more known
for my role on Epicurious.

So I work on a series
called "Pro vs Novice,"

where I'm the novice.

But I'm really excited
to hopefully

go back and be the pro.

[upbeat music]

I live in Brooklyn, in a cute
little brownstone apartment

with this adorable garden that
I completely renovated,

and it's my little spot
of nature in Brooklyn.

In the morning when I go out
and I say hello to my plants,

I just greet them and I tell
them how good they're doing.

I'm just like,
oh, you're doing so good.

I am who I am. [laughs]

On the way to Fort Greene
farmers market

to see what's in season.

Things I love showcasing
on my social media

are fresh produce.

What can I find at
my farmers' market?

I love just teaching people

you can be creative
with plant-based ingredients.

I want to inspire other people,

to show them something new
and beautiful

and will connect them more with
their food and with the Earth.

♪ ♪

- You got this, Gabi.

- Thank you, Chef.

- How are we doing, Tim?
- Coming along, Chef.

- Making progress?
- Yes.

- What'd you grab?

- I got canned salmon.

I'm going to make
a salmon patty croquette

with some crunchy corn
and some bananas--

- Oh, we love that.
- To add a little sweetness

and depth of flavor
to the corn.

- And you yourself have
a lot of depth, right?

You're one of the more
seasoned chefs around here,

if you will.
- Yes, Chef.

- And those five
beautiful kids are

waiting for you to get back
home with that win, right?

- Absolutely.

They're looking
forward to seeing pop.

Give me a minute.

My kitchen's going
to smell amazing.

2 1/2 years ago,
my kids inspired me

to get on social media.

Don't be stingy.

Now we're 2 million followers
and subscribers

on all my social channels.

That's fantastic.

My kids would describe me--
"Dad's a total goofball."

Fresh garlic.

I repeat some
of their cool phrases

and they're like,
"Dad, don't do that."

That's a little sus.

- You got it.

15 minutes, guys. Right?

You want to be drafted.

- Whoo! How are we feeling?

- For one of you, the audition
will end down here.

Talk to me about what
you grabbed, Nicole.

- I grabbed some pressed ham.

I'm going to get
the pasta on there.

- How often do you work
with canned meat?

- Not very often.
I like fresh meats.

- [laughing]
- Brittnee.

- Hi.
- How are we feeling?

- I feel really good.

I picked up the canned beef.

So I'm doing eggs Benedict,

like a cheeseburger
eggs Benedict.

But I'm going to need something
buttery and saucy

and creamy, right?

And so, I was like, okay,
I can do hollandaise.

- I wouldn't do a Benedict
in 20 minutes with canned meat.

- No.
- No chance.

- Let's go, guys.
Let's go, Izahya.

These auditions are chaotic.

It feels like
you're Michael Jordan

with three seconds left
on the clock,

and you got to hit
the game-winning shot.

- What do you got here, chef?
- Some canned clams.

I'm going to make
a nice little pasta.

And I feel like I got
a pretty good grab.

But I'm feeling
a little nervous.

I want to get a spot so badly
in the middle kitchen.

- And what ingredient is
on your apron?

- Oh, man, the clams got me.

I have to turn up the gas
'cause this competition is

not built for the weak at all.

- Make sure these
flavors are cohesive.

- Yes, Chef.

- 10 minutes down.

- I thought you was about
to say like, two minutes left.

I was like, oh, no.

- I can take two minutes
away if you'd like.

- Please don't.

- Chef Matt, how tall are you?

- I am 6' 7".
- 6' 7"?

- Can I tell you
a secret, chef?

- Please, please.

- I'm 6' 6" and 5/8.

Don't tell anybody.

- You just round up, right?
Smart.

- Let's make some
Tuscan shrimp pasta.

I'm a pretty big guy,
and at school,

I definitely did
get picked on a lot.

I got into fights
a lot as a kid.

I barely graduated high school.

And for a little bit there,

I really had no idea what
I was going to do.

So it all started on Snapchat.

I got people joining
and just watching me cook,

swiping up saying,
"I love watching these.

Please don't stop."

Thank God that I found food,

because it was kind of
like therapy for me.

Without it, I have no idea
where I'd be today.

- What do you have
in the pan here?

- Canned corned beef.
- Love that.

Man with a plan.

- If we're trapped
in a football team,

I got my offensive line.

- Yeah, definitely, yeah.

- Figured out right there.

I'm going with Matt.
- Brittany.

- Hey.
- Tell me about your dish.

What'd you grab?
- I grabbed canned shrimp.

We're going to do, like,
butter garlic noodles.

- Butter garlic noodles shrimp?
- Yes.

- Yes.
- My son is 1 1/2.

He calls them noo-noos.
- Oh, my God.

So this dish is
inspired by your son?

- Yes.

- I have some Louisiana flair
in my family.

Are you going to bring that
bayou flavor in this dish?

- That is my plan.

I'm Brittany.

I'm from Kinder, Louisiana,
and I'm a social media chef.

- Mommy.

- I live with my husband
and my little son, John.

My son, when he was,
like, seven months old,

he slept with a whisk.

Like, that was--
instead of a Teddy bear,

he had a whisk, and he would
carry it everywhere.

Tonight for supper, y'all,

we're making
alligator sauce piquante.

There's this running joke
in Louisiana that

most people are going to see
roadkill and be like, ew.

But in Louisiana, we're
like, what's that taste like?

I've cooked snake and turtle
and deer

and rabbit and squirrel
and possum.

Oh, I forgot to say frogs.

I love frogs.

- We're cranking
this thing, boy.

Let's go.

- Kitchen's really tough
to work in, right?

You got to learn it
along the way.

This is day one for you all.

- Love that. Love that.

Love when everything
falls over.

- I just have to get
my [bleep] together.

And relax.

Just relax.

Oh, my God.

I kept messing
my poached eggs up.

And it was because
of the freaking pan.

And I had a plastic spoon.

Why are there
big plastic serving spoons?

And so my eggs are falling
apart because of the spoon.

Oh, my [bleep] God.

How much time do we have left?

- Three minutes, guys.

You got something to prove.
You're social media chefs.

[dramatic music]

- So I've got the tuna fish
and I'm like, all right,

I gotta make a fritter.

Yeah, that didn't work.

But I need to put
a sauce on this plate.

Bro, how am I supposed
to puree this?

I got two minutes
to plate this thing.

- Fire, fire, fire.

- Holy [bleep].

All of a sudden,
my pan burst into flames.

- Let's go. Come on.

- I feel like I'm
in a prison kitchen.

I might be going home, bro.

- Guys, 45 seconds left.

Tim, don't forget
about your fritters.

- Yes, Chef.

[tense music]

- What's burning?
- Oh, shoot.

- Do you want to get
to the middle level?

all: Yes, Chef.

- And then where?

- And then win!

- Five, four, three,

two, one.

Hands up, guys.

♪ ♪

- Wow.

- Intense.
You guys were watching.

What'd you guys think?

- 20 minutes--
I mean, you guys spend

that amount of time in makeup

and looking for your
ring lights, right?

[laughter]

- Shall we start?
- Please.

- Please.
- Okay, excellent.

So, first up, we have
a chicken and dumpling.

This dish was cooked by Gabi.

She had the canned chicken.

[suspenseful music]

- That's good.

- What a beautiful-looking
dish, yeah?

- Yeah, if I didn't know,
I wouldn't have guessed

it was canned meat.

It's smart to use
that in a broth.

So next up, Izahya
grabbed canned clams,

and he made a pasta.

♪ ♪

- Very acidic.
- Absolutely, yeah.

It's almost doing
a little too much, right?

- Totally. Keep it simple.

- And this one?

- We have a canned tuna fritter
from Jordan.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

- Delicious fritter.

It needs a sauce.
- Yeah.

- Needs more.

- No immersion blender
in sight, Chef.

- And so you see a lot
of dishes here with sauces.

- Absolutely.

- You look a little frazzled
at the end there, Jordan.

- I definitely have a huge
respect for this basement.

- I [bleep] hate the basement.

- It's tough.

- Stay out of the basement
if you're here long enough.

- Yes, chef.
- Yeah, absolutely.

- Next?
- Next up from Matt,

we have a crispy corned beef

finished with a little bit
of honey.

- Good heat in there.

- I like the idea of the sweet
versus the salty canned meat.

- If I'm honest,
it's very sweet.

- Next up, we have Nicole.

She had the canned ham.

Made a beautiful pasta.

- It's giving me, like,
stroganoff vibes.

It's a smart idea.
- I like it.

I think the sauce is delicious.

Super creative.
- Thank you.

- Here, we have
a canned salmon fritter.

It's coming from Tim.

- You've sort of created
something unique

with the canned salmon
in the fritter.

The fritter's delicious.

- Okay.

Next up, Brittany used
ramen noodles

with canned shrimp inspired
by her 1 1/2-year-old at home.

What does he call the dish?
- Noo-noos.

- Noo-noos.

- Whenever I get off work
in the afternoons,

he'll go like to the pantry
and he'll,

"Mama, cook. Mama, cook."

And he'll grab noo-noos.

- Listen, I think
the idea is there.

It needs a broth.
Noodles need to absorb.

Those shrimp are
already cooked,

so they go like really super
hard when you cook them again.

- Okay.

- Yeah, I like the bounce
of the noodles.

That's what
ramen noodles provide.

I'm not quite as enthusiastic

about the bounce of the shrimp
being overcooked.

- Okay, yeah.

- This, we have a play
on a burger-inspired Benedict

from Brittnee.

Poached egg with a hollandaise.

- Did you make hollandaise
in 20 minutes?

- I did.

It was risky.

- It takes a professional chef
20 minutes

to make a proper hollandaise.

- Yeah.

I have absolutely
done eggs Benedict

several times in 20 minutes.

I brag about it
being 20 minutes.

- Is it a hollandaise?

[tense music]

♪ ♪

It's actually quite good.

- Thank you.

- Give us a moment.

We have some decisions
to make and talk about

amongst ourselves.
Thank you.

- Thank you, chef.
- Thank you, chef.

- That's tough, though.
- Yeah.

- Isn't it?
Some great dishes there.

The Benedict burger.

I've got one kid saying
that there's no sauce, no time,

and somebody else
making a hollandaise sauce.

- Good job.
- Thanks.

- Those prawns are so rubbery.

- I mean,
they're already cooked.

- I am so scared.

- There's something wrong
with that ingredient, clams.

There was something tainted.

- A missed opportunity.
- Absolutely.

We agree?
- Yeah.

- I think so. Yeah.

[suspenseful music]

- Okay.

So we've come to a decision.

The first three chefs heading
up to the middle level

are going to be...

Nicole...

Gabi...

and Tim.

- Well done.
[applause]

Well done.
- Congratulations.

Please head to the elevator.

- Whoo! Oh, my God.

Oh.

Such a relief.

[laughs]

- The next three people who
are making it to the next level

are Jordan...

Brittnee Gaines...
- Thanks.

- And Matt.
- Well done.

- Please head to the elevator
to join the others.

- Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Thank you.
- Good job.

- 20 minutes in the basement--
it's tough.

You might have to chef more.

But me, a tuna fritter just
took me to the next floor.

Let's go.

- Izahya, Brittany,

unfortunately,
that leaves the two of you.

The road for one
of you ends here.

[suspenseful music]

And the person that is moving
to the next level is...

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

- The person that is moving
to the next level is...

♪ ♪

Izahya.

- Yes.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Please head to the elevator.

- Oh.

I'm sorry.

♪ ♪

Thank you, Chefs. Thank you.

- You should be so proud.

Your son would love this dish.

That's who you kept
in your heart

and your spirit
when you made this.

And you succeeded in that.

Thank you, Brittany.
Good luck to you.

- Thank you.
- Well done.

- Good luck.
- Take care.

[somber music]

♪ ♪

- I felt like I did my best.

I just wasn't ready to go home,
and not so early.

[dramatic rock music]

- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Thank you, Chef.

- Chef Richard.
- Yes.

- Take it away.
- Yep.

- Oh, whoa.
- Look at this.

- This is a step up.

- Welcome to the next level,
the middle level.

- I like it a lot.

- The middle kitchen is night
and day from the basement.

And it's actually not
too different

from the kitchen that
I cook in.

I see that Vitamix and
I'm thinking, here we are.

We've made it home.

The smoothie girl is back
with her blender.

- All right, everyone.
How are we doing?

- Good, man.
- We're doing good?

Are we pumped up?
- Good, Chef Blais.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

- Let's line up, everyone,
okay?

All right.
You got a hand on the wall.

You have everything you need
up here on the middle level.

So today, what I want you to do
here is to make a viral dish.

This is your
million-plus viral dish.

And I just want to remind you,
Gordon and Nyesha are watching

everything that you do,
and we're scouting the people

that we want on our team.

Am I clear?
all: Yes, Chef.

- Okay, the platform
is heading down.

When you see the green light,
you can go.

Good luck.
- Let's go, y'all.

Turn it up.
Come on.

With this grab,
I'm not playing.

I got rockets
strapped to my shoes.

I am going to be
the first one to that grab.

- Go.

30 seconds.

You need a bunch
of ingredients.

Grab everything that you can.

Ooh.
- I fell.

I freaking fell going
for the platform.

- Oh, oh, are you okay?

Good? Okay.

- But there's
still shrimp here.

And so I got the shrimp.
- Protein.

You have to grab a protein.

- I see chicken.
I'm grabbing that.

And immediately,
I think fried chicken.

Who doesn't love fried chicken?

- Do I have a vegetable?

Only a couple seconds left.

If you can reach it,
it's yours, as it goes.

- Got the whole thing.
- Back to your stations.

Let's go.
Your 20 minutes starts now.

Let's go.
- Let's go, baby.

[tense music]

- Hey, Brittnee, what
are you thinking about?

- I'm doing like a spicy
sesame soy miso shrimp taco.

- Okay, good.
- Shrimp taco.

- She kind of said
it as a question.

- Yeah.
- What is this?

- Tortillas.
- Tortillas?

Oh. What?
- Yeah.

- You're making
your own tortillas?

- Yeah.
- Whoo!

I like it, baby.
I like it.

- I like it too.

- This may be stupid,
but no risk, no reward.

♪ ♪

- Gabi.

You got the tilapia.
What are you going to make?

- I'm making a little
romesco-type sauce.

- Okay.

- I'm going to do this
with an egg noodle

with a little bit
of a breadcrumb on top.

- Okay, there's a lot going on.
- Yes.

- So just keep moving, okay?
- You got it.

Thank you, Chef.
- Big flavors, big flavors.

- Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

- Jordan, what's up?

- All right,
so we got a skirt steak.

We're going to get
this nice mid-rare,

then we're going to do

a corn-chili-tomato salsa
underneath.

We're going to elevate it,
stack it up.

- Okay.

You got to get some
flow going, right?

- Yes, sir.
- I know you're a hip-hop guy.

- Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Ooh, I like that.

- So am I. So am I.

- ♪ I said it ♪

♪ Harry Potter,
the way I do it is magical ♪

Growing up, I was kind of
bullied and picked on,

a little insecure.

I started rapping when
I was really young,

and kids just thought it
was really funny.

♪ Ferrari, Ray-Bans,
roll the Lambo ♪

I wanted to lift everyone up,

because that's
what I needed growing up.

My culinary journey
didn't really blow up

until my wife, Jacqueline,
was actually like,

you should try doing this
on YouTube.

And I was like, what?

Let's make cranberry sauce.

1 cup of sugar.
2 oranges.

You know, I thought
it was a opportunity

to kind of document my journey

and my followers
could grow with me.

And that has just now
become my career

and a love language between me
and my wife.

I actually have already had
a run-in with Chef Ramsay.

- Dude, what the hell
happened there?

- He reacted to a video of me

literally burning
my fingerprints off.

Ooh.

- Each finger stuck
to the pan, really?

Come on, dude, you
know better than that.

- And it amassed over
200 million views

across all platforms.

My fingerprints are still
in here, like, a year later.

- You can freestyle
with your words.

Let's see freestyle
with your food, okay?

- I love it.

- Five minutes are
gone already, Izahya.

- How are you doing, Chef?
- Okay, what's up, man?

How are you?
- I'm good.

- All right, what's the plan?

- I'm going to be making
a fried chicken thigh.

- Are these all
of your ingredients?

- Yeah, these are
all my ingredients.

- Okay. So this is
a minimalistic dish, right?

- Yes, Chef.
- All right.

All right, get going.

All right, Tim,
what's going on?

- Hey, Chef.
So what I'm going to do is

I'm going to make a pasta.

- You're making pasta?
- Yes, sir.

- Okay, you struggled
with 20 minutes last time,

and you're going to make
fresh pasta right now?

- I can't play it safe.
- Okay.

- Too dangerous.
- Absolutely.

- Tim is on a knife edge
right now.

- Totally.

- Okay, so it's a pasta dish
with ground turkey.

- I'm going to be having
ground turkey, some vegetables.

- You got to get that done.
- Yes, Chef.

- I love how ambitious some
of you are being right now.

Homemade pasta.

A homemade dough over here.

Okay.

All right, Nicole, what's
the dish you're going to make?

Do you have it figured out yet?

- I'm going to do
a pan-seared pork loin

with a broccoli onion stir fry

and a really beautiful
bell pepper puree as my sauce.

- You're used to beating
people on stage, right?

Now you're competing
in the kitchen?

- Yes, sir.

I've been competing
for as long as I can remember.

So I was a competitive dancer

all throughout high school
and college.

And then I also competed
in scholarship pageants

up until I competed
at Miss America in 2018.

One of the big stereotypes
with pageant girls

is always world peace
and solve world hunger.

But I'm actually doing that.

I don't have a smoothie.

So I started
a smoothie bowl series

on my YouTube channel just
to see if it worked,

and it blew up
almost overnight.

I'm now literally using
food through social media

to feed people
around the world.

- Is it the same
winning mentality?

- Absolutely.
- Okay.

I love how you fought
downstairs, okay?

- Thank you.
- Keep pushing, okay?

♪ ♪

- Whoo.
- Are you all right?

- Yeah.

- All right.

I am worried about you,
just because I want you

to get that pasta done.
- Come on, Tim!

[tense music]

- Dude, you got to go, man.
You got 19 things.

You're making a pasta dish.
It's a simple cuisine.

Simplify your idea right now.
You have to.

- Yes, Chef.
- You have to.

- I make fresh pasta
at home all the time,

but I'm never really under
major time constraints.

Is it going to be done?

- We're at the halfway point.

10 minutes left.
- Okay.

- Beautiful.

Feeling good,
looking good, baby.

- All right, Tim,
you're up against it.

So let's bear down here.

Is the pasta cooking?

- About to go in, Chef.
- Dude, okay.

Yeah.
- Look at that turkey.

It's raw.

What's he doing there now?

Tim, garlic powder.

Get your hands off
the herbs, Tim.

Oh, my God.
- This is why we watch these.

These auditions
are so imperative.

- Make sure that you're
tasting everything, okay?

Tortilla.

You're okay with
the thickness on it?

Just make sure that
the dough gets cooked

all the way through, right?

And then the shrimp,
what are we thinking?

- I'm taking the shells off.
And I'm thinking--

I'm thinking about
not cutting myself.

- Yeah, yeah.
Don't cut yourself.

So concentrate on that.

- My nerves in this knife--
not getting along.

- Five minutes left.

Keep pushing, right?

You didn't come here to
go home on the middle floor.

- No, Chef.
- But someone is.

Is anyone worried?
- No, Chef.

- Feeling good.

- Gonna be on that
top kitchen, Chef.

- Feeling good, Chef.

- [gasps] Oh.

- What happened?

- I just cut myself.
- Medic!

We need a medic up here, guys.

We need a medic.

- There's a lot of blood there.

- Right over here.
Right over here. Thank you.

- Who got cut?

- Oh, my God.

- Okay, how do you feel?

- Oh, my God. Whoo.

[tense music]

- Brittnee, you okay?
- Yes.

I think it was a little
dramatic, if you ask me.

- Come down to me
when you're done.

- Okay.

I guess my body was
just rolling

with the theater of it all.

How much time do
we have left, Chef?

- Four minutes left.

Against the grain, right?
Against the grain.

Okay.

- What is Jordan doing?

Has he rested the steak?

All those juices spilling
out onto the board.

- Right.
- Two minutes left.

It's time to start plating.

I know that you're all
social media chefs.

You make beautiful
viral videos that

get millions of followers,

but focus on making this
as beautiful as you can.

30 seconds left.
- Yes, Chef.

- You're cutting it close, Tim,
but you got it, okay?

Now it's go time.

You got to get something
on a plate now.

Now you got to go.

Five, four, three,

two, one.

Hands up. Hands up.

- Whoo!
- Let's go, baby!

- Yeah!

- This group of social media
chefs--they're coachable.

I want people on my team
to grow with me.

- Let's go.
- Give me Izahya.

Give me Matt.

Is Gordon here?
Is Nyesha still here?

[whispers] Gabi is fantastic.

[suspenseful music]

- Okay. Well done, guys.

- Nyesha, Gordon,
how fun was that?

- It was incredible.
- Incredible.

- Leveled up, for sure.

- Should we taste and dive in?

- Absolutely.

- So this is Jordan's
skirt steak

with a little herb pan sauce

and a little corn and tomato
salsa.

[tense music]

- I love that you used
a fresh salsa

to kind of lighten it up.

It eats really nicely.

Yeah, good job.
- Thank you.

- Watching you slice that meat,

and then all the juices spewing
out all over your board,

then you dress the plate--

great potential but just
badly executed at the end.

- Dagger to the chest.

- All right. Let's get into
this crispy chicken

with scallions, honey, vinegar.

This is Izahya's dish.

- It's so pretty.
- Very crispy.

- I can hear it.

- Chicken is
cooked beautifully.

♪ ♪

- I love the restraint.

- Yeah, I love it.

It's hot, it's spicy,

and it's incredibly crispy.
Great job.

- Thank you, Chef.

I'm feeling like
I redeemed myself.

Man, my heart is filled.

At this point, if I can be
on anybody's team, I'm happy.

Let's go.
- All right.

We'll get in here
to Matt's dish.

And this is a trout crostini

with a apple, hazelnut,
feta, and dill salad.

♪ ♪

The 27.8% Scandinavian
part of me

really enjoys
the trout and dill,

but the proportion is
a little off here, right?

- Trout is delicious.
Really good indeed.

Great potential.
- Thank you, Chef.

Chef Ramsay thinks
my trout is delicious.

I'm going to live with that
for the rest of my life,

even if I go home right now.

- Okay. So here we go.

This is Nicole's dish.

It is a spice-seared pork chop
with a vegetable stir fry.

- Yeah, I think it's smart.

It's a good play
for an audition dish.

It wasn't too much.
It wasn't too little.

- Really on point
with the seasoning.

- This is Gabi's
quick trip to Spain

with tilapia
and a romesco sauce

and a little bit
of anchovy gremolata.

♪ ♪

Yeah, I mean, as someone who
trained in Spain, I mean,

I loved the use of oil
and salt and the oceanic flavor

that I'm getting from
the tilapia and the anchovy.

You know, maybe the pasta's
a little bit clumpy.

- You've taken tilapia
from this muddy, dense flavor

into something elegant.

But it tastes better
than it looks.

Really good.

- So this is
a handmade tortilla

that Brittnee made
with some glazed shrimp

and a yogurt sauce.

- Really brave--trying to make
a tortilla under 20 minutes.

[tense music]

- Focus on the shrimp, please.

The sauce is delicious.

- It is very thick.

Such a shame.
- Yeah.

Focus on the sauce,
not the tortilla, please.

- It's very doughy.
It's very heavy.

It should be way thinner.

A great shame.

- Well, that really screwed
the pooch a little bit.

- Tim's handmade fettuccine
with bacon and vegetables.

- So fettuccine is thin.

It's thick. It's undercooked.

A lot of attention
on the pasta,

but that actually
weighed you down

and sandbagged you
as opposed to elevating.

- Turkey tends to be leaner.

So making a delicious
sauce could be where

the focus should be spent.

- Yes, Chef.

May not be the best
homemade pasta,

but I think the flavors
were pretty good.

If anything saves me,
it's my flavors.

- All right, everyone, I think
we need a second to chat,

for sure, right?
- Absolutely.

- Absolutely, yeah.
Excuse me.

♪ ♪

Yeah, some great dishes there,
by the way.

Fried chicken, exceptional.

- I want to put it in
a bag and take it home.

- Oh, God.

The noodles at the end
with the fettuccine--terrible.

- Yeah.

- And then the tortilla,
bright white inside

and just, like, really dry.

- Yeah. Yeah, tough.

- I mean, really dry.

- What do you think?
Are we good?

- Yes.
- Okay.

♪ ♪

These decisions
do not come easily,

and we don't take them
lightly, that's for sure.

- For sure.

- So the first three people
moving up

to the top level are...

Izahya...

Gabi...

and Jordan.

- Oh, yeah.

- Congratulations, you three.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- You can head to the elevator.

You've made it
to the top level.

- Thank you, Chefs.

- Thank you.

- Started from the bottom.

Now we at the top, baby.

Let's go.

[uplifting music]

- Okay, the next two people
that made it

to the top level are...

Nicole and Matt.

Congratulations.

You can join your colleagues
in the elevator.

- Thank you.

- Good job. Good job.

- Okay, Brittnee and Tim.

I know this isn't easy.

Unfortunately,
only one of you can make it

to the top level kitchen.

- I really, really want to
make it to the top kitchen.

But like the stress,
the anxiety--

this is not chill.

Ugh, this is so intense.

- The person who's
moving on is...

- Oh, gosh.

I'm going to go home
over my al dente pasta.

- Brittnee and Tim,
only one of you can

make it to
the top level kitchen.

The person who's
moving on is...

Brittnee.

- Thank you so much.

- Congratulations, Brittnee.

- Thank you.

- Tim, millions of people watch
your stuff on social media.

And I know that you're
a super talented cook

and it just wasn't
one of your best days.

- No, it wasn't.
- Best of luck, Tim.

- Thank you.

I'm very disappointed that
I'm leaving this early.

Being a social media chef,
I never really had

distinguished chefs tasting
my food.

I guess the pressure
just made me freeze

and try to go for the gold when
I should have just simplified.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[intense music]

- Welcome to
the best kitchen in the world.

[cheers and applause]

- Oh, my God.

- Yo!

- I'm used to cooking
in a Brooklyn kitchen.

This is like a Vegas
restaurant in here.

- Insane kitchen.

- Okay.

One cook away
from entering the draft.

20 minutes is going to go fast.

So use that time wisely.

You'll be cooking one
extraordinary next-level dish.

There are no excuses
when we're cooking

with the kind of ingredients
you're going to witness

seconds from now.
Get yourself into that draft.

Line up, guys. Good luck.

- I want to be one of
the five selected chefs

to move on more than
anything in life.

- The platform is moving.

- I've put in all
this work for all these years

trying to impress my fans,
my family, my wife.

- Three, two...

- If I go down,
I'm going down fighting.

- Go! Let's go.

[intense music]

Grab, grab, grab.

♪ ♪

- Oh, my God.

I'm looking around
this platform,

trying to find
something familiar.

I see stuff I've never even
cooked with before,

but I've always wanted to,

but it was a little bit
too expensive.

- Get in there, guys.

- I see that rack of lamb,

and I knew that
rack of lamb was it.

There's no excuses now,
all right?

You have the best
ingredients in the world.

I'm going to get myself
on a team.

- Both hands grab.
Come on.

It's going. It's going.

Well done.

20 minutes to get
yourselves in the draft.

Your time starts now.
Let's go.

- Let's go, chef.
- Let's go.

Let's go, baby.
Let's go. Let's go.

- Auditions help
to fine tune our teams,

and it's a great insight
for me.

I'll spot things that Richard
and Nyesha will never see.

- Oh, that's bubbly.
- Brittnee, what did you grab?

- I grabbed some halibut,
some bacon, green onions,

ricotta, and some bread.
- Oh, love it.

No other veg?

- Just that one spring onion.
- And one--

- Oh, wait, no. I have lemon.

- Okay, good for the halibut.

And one spinach leaf?

- I have a potato
and some garlic.

[laughs]

My intention is to use
that one leaf of spinach

and salt it with my tears,

because I don't have
any other vegetables.

- This excitement
behind the social media,

how did it start?

- Well, I lost my cat,
and I just did not

feel right eating
because I'm like,

she's out there fighting
for her life.

- Right.
- And so I was like,

if I film it,
it'll feel like work.

- Was it stolen?

- No, but I hired a--

I hired a lost cat detective.

- You hired a lost cat detect--
did you find this cat?

- According to my cat medium,
she's out there.

- Your cat medium?
- And she's being fed.

Yeah.
- Wow.

- She's into her cat.

I love it. It's so cute.

- What's the cat's name?

- Her name is Nomi.

- If you've seen
Brittnee's cat--

- Please bring her home.
- Please bring Nomi home.

- Yeah.

- Don't give up.
- I'm not going to give up.

- But just get yourself
in that draft first,

and I'll take care
of the cat, okay?

- Okay.
- Good luck.

Two minutes gone.

Oh, boy.

Please tell me
you haven't lost a dog.

- No, no.
- Okay, good, good.

Good, good.
- Not at all, chef.

- Girlfriend?
- I'm married.

I'm married.
- You're married. Okay, great.

And what does she think about
this social media phenomenon?

- Oh, man, she's the reason
I started social media, man.

She showed me how to edit,
record my videos,

just be more confident.

Football was my first love.

It got me all the way
to college.

And due to injury,
it ended abruptly.

But it was a blessing
in disguise.

- "Next Level" came out,

and when I seen it,
I was like, oh, my God.

The show was, like,
just such a cool idea.

I loved it.

I would do skits on my page

just acting like
I'm on "Next Level Chef."

- My viewers fell
in love with it.

I am a very competitive person.

I know what it is
to be in the trenches.

So I'm ready. I'm ready.

- And what did you grab?

- A Wagyu New York strip.

- You got the hero.

I'll be watching you tonight
once the hand's

on that strip, okay?

Guys, eight minutes gone.

Make this count.

- Oh.
- Whoo.

Scared me, Gabi.

You scared me.

- Matt, how are you feeling?
What do you got?

- I've got these
beautiful purple potatoes,

rack of lamb, Iberico ham.

- You've got the best cut,
but can you cook

a rack of lamb in 20 minutes?

I don't think you can.

- 45 minutes,
I can do a whole rack.

20 minutes?

I know for a fact I have
to cut it into chops.

- Coachable.

- More coachable
than I thought.

I love this part because,
in the auditions,

we get to scout
potential team members

or throw my fellow mentors
off my scent.

That's right, Gordon.

I know who I'm looking at.

- I've got to prove
I am a good student.

- Gabi, what did you grab?

- I got some duck breast.

- Wow, we've gone from
one extreme to the other.

Tilapia to duck breast.

- Yes.

I've never cooked duck.

And I'm so nervous.

- The secret of cooking
great duck is letting it rest.

- I'm taking in every word
he's saying.

- Get that skin side down
and render that fat out.

- It's my key to making
this dish incredible.

- Just sear it.
Otherwise, it turns gray.

- Mmm.

He is the key.

I need the key.

♪ Listen to Gordon ♪

♪ Do what he says ♪

♪ Because if you don't,
you'll probably go home ♪

- 6 1/2 minutes to go.

- How are we feeling,
everybody?

Let's go.
Keep working.

- Nicole, the secret
behind that tuna is searing it

and letting it rest as well.

You've got a nice color
on there like that.

That's beautifully done.

- Oh, my God.

I need one of these
for my life.

- Okay, Jordan.
- Yes, sir?

- Tell me about it.
What are we doing?

- We're basically getting
a nice color on here.

We're going to dance
those vegetables

around those scallops.
- Good.

- Little butter base.
Beautiful.

- Good.
Good luck.

- Thank you, Chef.

[tense music]

- Final two minutes. Let's go.

- All right, Chef.
- Start plating.

- Right in there, Chef.

- It does need more cooking.

- Oh, my God.

I am absolutely terrified.

I need to make sure
I have enough time

to cook it perfectly.

Whoo!

The pressure's on, man.

I'm sweating right now.

I'm behind. I'm behind.
- Come on, y'all.

Turn up! Turn up!

- It's hard, man.
They're social media chefs.

They're not used to this.

- 30 seconds to go.
- Whoo!

♪ ♪

- Three, two, one,

and stop.

- Let's go, baby.
- Hands in the air.

- Let's go. Let's go!

- Yeah! Let's go.

[dramatic music]

- Richard, Nyesha,
welcome back.

That was insane.

- Insane.

- Even before we start tasting,
just the visual impact--

it is absolutely clear that
these are social media stars.

- Wow.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Impressed.
- Thank you.

- Let's get down to business.

Let's start off with this
caramelized slow-roasted duck.

So with the coconut, gochujang,
sort of almost like

a sort of fragrant curry.

This was executed by Gabi.

- Duck tends to be
sort of rich and fatty.

This has a nice levity to it.

It's really bright and fun.

- I think it's the
most dangerous protein

you could have cooked tonight.

And you've
absolutely nailed it.

- It was my first time, so--

- What?

- I am mostly a
vegetarian chef, so yeah.

- You've never
cooked duck before?

- Never.
- You've nailed it.

Next up is a halibut.

Brittnee, no greens,
but there was a bit

of a mishap with the grab.

- Yeah, maybe a little
bit under-seasoned.

Looking for a little
bit of vegetables.

But again,
a classic combination.

Potatoes, fish.

The bacon really, really
serves the dish well.

- The potatoes are actually
my favorite part of it.

There are tons
of flavor in them,

but I think the fish is
a little bit under-seasoned

and sort of undercooked
around the edges.

- So this was cooked by Izahya.

Wagyu served with a puree.

[suspenseful music]

- I mean, prime time
ingredient, for sure.

Classic interpretation.

Good stuff.

- This is Nicole.
This is a seared tuna.

It's encrusted with sesame
seed, blistered tomatoes,

and roasted starch.

- I think you nailed the tuna.
It's delicious.

I'm getting a nice texture
from the sesame.

The vegetables feel like a
little bit of an afterthought.

Maybe an opportunity
to see a green,

right, to brighten it up.

But overall, great progression.

- Thank you.

- Rack of lamb
smartly broken down to chops

executed by Matt.

Marinated first and grilled.

So with the puree--
Iberico ham as well.

- Potatoes for me are
a little salt-heavy.

Again, I'm a big fan
of vegetables.

I would like to see
a vegetable on a plate.

- Lamb is cooked beautifully.

And it's pink,
and the fat is delicious.

- Thank you, Chef.

Thank you so much.

- Jordan grabbed the scallops,
blistered tomatoes,

roasted the veg, and then made
this fragrant tomato essence.

- What I love about this--

it's really hard to cook
a proper scallop.

You've got a nice sear on that.

- Thank you.

- I'm really impressed
with this.

The complexity
and simplicity is--

it's beautiful.

- Scallops are perfection.

I mean, it's got finesse.

It's sort of
magazine cover material.

But it tastes as good
as it looks.

- I'm a social media chef.

I just started cooking
four years ago.

What alternate universe
am I living in right now?

- Right, you six,
now we come down

to the most important decision
of the night.

We need a very, very serious
few minutes together.

- Thank you, Chefs.
- Thank you so much.

- Good job.

- That's tough.
- All right.

- Really tough.

- Nailed those scallops, bro.
- Yeah.

- Scallops, what do you think?

- Did you cook the scallops?

- Yeah, I must say,
this kid comes in

cooking like an angel.

Is that a fluke?

The fact that she'd
never cooked duck before,

and that duck comes
out like that?

- She seems to have this innate
sensibility about proteins

and pairing them.

- Brittnee's halibut.

It needed something green.

It needed citrus.

- It was screaming
for something.

- Something.
- The lamb dish only had

the lamb and a starch
on that plate.

- The meat was cooked
perfectly, though.

- Don't be scared.

- I'm happy with the choice,
and I think

I found my first pick maybe.
- Wow.

- Wow, wow.

- Playing those cards already.
- Wow.

- Shall we?
- Let's do it.

[suspenseful music]

- Now, before we reveal
our decision,

I'd like to remind all of you
what's at stake.

- Oh, gosh.

Whoa.

[dramatic music]

- Oh, my goodness.

- Wow.

- Five aprons and five amazing
"Next Level Chef" jackets.

That's what's at stake
right there.

But you have to make it
onto one of our teams.

- I'd be happy to be on any one
of these amazing chef teams,

but I'd be lying if I said
that Chef Ramsay apron

wouldn't look real good on me.

- All six of your performances
tonight reaffirmed

you deserve to be here.

Super impressive.

- Thank you, Chef.

- The first person entering
the draft--

congratulations goes to...

Jordan.

Well done.
- Yes.

Let's go.
- Good job.

- Thank you, Chef.

Let's get it.

- The next person into
the final five--

congratulations goes to...

Gabi.

- Oh, my God.
- Well done.

- Thank you.
Thank you so much.

- The third person earning
their spot on one of our teams

is Nicole.

Congratulations. Well done.

- You're joking.

- The fourth person
who's made their way

into the draft--Izahya.

- Let's go!
- Well done.

- Let's go!
- Yeah!

- Let's go.

- Okay.

Matt and Brittnee,
this is a difficult one.

Both young, promising,
great futures,

but only one of you can make it
into the top five.

The final social media chef...

- Ugh, this is so intense.

Why am I putting
myself through this?

- Moving into the draft...

- But I'm so close.

- Congratulations goes to...

- Just waiting for that
last name to be called,

my heart is racing.

I can't even describe
how badly I want to get

on one of these chefs' teams.

- The final social media chef

moving into the draft--

congratulations goes to...

[suspenseful music]

Matt.

[applause]

- Congratulations, bro.

Congratulations.

- Let's go, baby!

Let's go!

Oh.

[laughing]

- Brittnee, I think
you got a little bit

frazzled from the grab.

Because you got
the protein beautifully done,

but there was nothing
surrounding it.

- I'm not done here.

Y'all can find me online.

- Please say goodbye to your
fellow social media chefs

and head into the elevator.
- Bye, you guys.

- Get in. Come on.

- Yeah, get in here.
- Come on.

- I would love to work
with these mentors,

and I would love to win
that much money.

- Great job, Brittnee.
- Good job, Brittnee.

- Make sure you get
ahold of that cat.

- But Chef Ramsay
shouted my cat out,

and he complimented
my hollandaise,

and I love that for me.

♪ ♪

- Congratulations.
- Thank you.

- You're now the top five
social media chefs

in this contest, okay?

Now you're in the competition.

Moving into the draft, I've got
my eye on quite a lot of you.

It's only the beginning.

Don't make any silly mistakes.

- Yes, Chef.

- In true social media fashion,
let's do a selfie.

- Let's go, baby.
- Yeah!

- Come on, man. Come on.

We got to get it--keep going.
Let's go.

Where are you?

One, two, three.

- Yeah!
- Come on!

- Come on, baby!

Let's go!
- Well done.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Good night.

- Whoo!
Thank you, Chefs.

Ahh!

- Whoo!

[cheering]

- Next time
on "Next Level Chef"...

- Go time.

- Today we are starting
with the eight home cooks.

- This is so crazy.

I'm not even
on the competition yet.

I'm still just auditioning.

- Oh.

- I said get the pan hot,
but don't burn

the [bleep] kitchen down.

- Everybody else was so calm.

What the hell is wrong with me?

- I'm panicking.
It is a disaster.

And I have no clue where
to take it from here.

♪ ♪

- Have you got any last words
before you leave?

- Follow me and find my cat,
please.

- [meows, purrs]